Emulsion stabilisation

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to the use of cocoa particles as the emulsifier system for the stabilization of a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion. In another aspect there is now provided a confectionery product comprising cocoa particles as the emulsifying agent that does not contain any synthetic or artificial emulsifiers, and to methods for producing such confectionery product.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of emulsions, moreparticularly to the stabilisation of emulsions by cocoa particles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Emulsions are widely used in food technology, for instance as a means toimprove the nutritional profile of food products by enabling fat contentreduction, and/or the incorporation of water soluble nutrients andflavourings. Emulsions are normally obtained with the aid of differentmolecular emulsifying agents like emulsifiers, proteins or amphiphilicpolymers (also called stabilizers). These ingredients are indispensableto the manufacture of stable commercially acceptable emulsion basedproducts. Efficient stabiliser and emulsifier systems already exist, butthese are often based on chemically modified ingredients. Emulsifiersand stabilizers are generally considered as additives which under manycountries' health regulations must be declared in the product label bytheir respective E-numbers and some are considered “synthetic”ingredients, i.e. obtained by chemical processing. There is a growingdemand from consumers for products which are free from artificialadditives or so-called “E numbers”.

Thus there is a need for replacing synthetic or artificial emulsifierswith natural emulsifier systems that can provide the necessarytensioactive properties whilst not compromising on the product quality.

Natural ingredients with emulsifying properties are known, but they areusually not as efficient as synthetic emulsifiers and/or present otherdrawbacks.

In particular, egg yolk has been known for a long time for itsemulsifying properties. EP 2185003 describes a stabiliser system forfrozen confectioneries comprising egg yolk as natural emulsifierassociated with starch and citrus fibers. However, the use of egg yolkis considerably limited due to the stringent processing conditionsrequired for sanitary reasons, and the storage conditions for requiredfor non-cooked products. Also for many food products it is not desiredto have egg yolk as an ingredient. Also the use of egg yolk is limitedin some cases due to its allergen character.

Quillaia is also known for its emulsifying properties. However, thisplant contains saponins which are toxic for humans at certainconcentrations.

Proteins are known to have some emulsifying properties. However,generally their use must be declared on food labels and are thereforeseen as additives by the consumer.

It is now well established in the scientific literature that solidparticles may also be employed to stabilize emulsions (see for instanceBernard P. Binks, Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 7(2002), 21-41). By using solid particles, the concentration ofconventional emulsifying agents can be reduced and in some cases,emulsifying agents can even be completely replaced. Until now, most ofthe particles selected to produce particle-stabilized emulsions havebeen synthetic (polymer lattices, silica, metal oxides, polymericmicrogel particles, etc.). The use of naturally occurring stabilizersrepresents an interesting extension, However only very few naturallyoccurring stabilizers have been described in the literature. F.Leal-Calderon et al., Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science 13(2008) 217-227 mentions the use of bacteria and cowpea mosaic virus.More recently naturally occurring spore particles of Lycopodium clavatumhave also been shown to act as efficient stabilizers for emulsions(Bernard P. Binks et al., “Naturally occurring spore particles behaviorat fluid interfaces and in emulsions”, Langmuir 2005; 21:8161-7).

So far stabilising particules described in the literature are mostly nonfood grade and to be able to stabilise emulsions they normally requiresome “activation”, i.e. chemical modification, pH adjustment orcombination with conventional emulsifiers or chemical additives. WO2009/040341 described the use of food-grade gelled nanoparticles tostabilised emulsions. However, although the gelled particles arefood-grade they would still be required to be labeled by the associatedE-number of the polysaccharide used to obtained the gelled particles,and also require chemical processing in their production.

Accordingly there is an ongoing need to provide efficient solutions toanswer this important demand for natural emulsifier systems.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a natural emulsifiersystem which can replace synthetic emulsifiers in food applications.

It would be advantageous to provide an emulsifier system which canreplace synthetic emulsifiers in particular in the manufacture ofconfectionery products, while not compromising on the product quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has surprisingly been found by the inventors that naturally-occurringparticles sourced from cocoa can be used to replace conventionalemulsifiers to effectively stabilise emulsions.

Accordingly in one aspect the present invention encompasses the use ofcocoa particles as the emulsifier system for the stabilization of awater-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion.

Advantageously the cocoa-particle stabilized emulsions of the inventiondo not require the addition of any other emulsifier.

In another aspect there is now provided a confectionery productconsisting of a stable emulsion comprising from 0.1 to 10% wt/wt ofcocoa particles as the emulsifying agent. Advantageously theconfectionery product is free from synthetic or artificial emulsifiersor structuring agents.

In another aspect there is provided a process for preparing aconfectionery product in the form of an emulsion, comprising the stepsof:

-   (a) Mixing ingredients of the aqueous phase-   (b) Mixing ingredients of the fat phase-   (c) Dispersing the cocoa particles in one or both of the aqueous    phase or the fat phase-   (d) Homogenizing the two phases to form an emulsion.

Advantageously the present invention makes possible the preparation offood products based on emulsions, and particularly confectioneryproducts, which do not contain any additives, or non-naturalingredients. Advantageously the cocoa particle stabilised emulsions ofthe present invention do not require the addition of any emulsifiers.Advantageously the cocoa-particle emulsifier system of the presentinvention can replace synthetic emulsifiers in particular in themanufacture of confectionery products, and does not need to be declaredon the product label.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows micrographs of cocoa particle-stabilised emulsionsaccording to embodiments of the invention prepared using differentsources of cocoa solids and at varying cocoa solids content.

FIG. 2 shows a confocal fluorescence image of an oil-in-water emulsionstabilised by cocoa particles according to one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 shows micrographs of a water-in-oil emulsion stabilised by cocoaparticles according to one embodiment of the invention on storage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless otherwise specified % in the present description correspond to wt%.

The present invention concerns the use of cocoa particles as theemulsifier system for the stabilization of a water-in-oil oroil-in-water emulsion. By “emulsifier system” is to be understood atleast one ingredient with tensoactive properties.

In the present description, what is meant by “natural ingredients” isingredients of natural origin. These include ingredients which comedirectly from the field etc. They may also include ingredients which arethe result of a physical or microbiological/enzymatic process (e.g.extraction, fermentation etc.). However, they do not include ingredientswhich are the result of a chemical modification process.

In the present description, “food-ingredients” refers to ingredients ofnatural origin containing nutrients that are consumed to providenutritional support for the body.

The inventors of the present invention have surprisingly found thatparticles of cocoa, a naturally-occurring food-ingredient, are able toproduce emulsions with good stability without the need for the additionof emulsifiers, or structuring agents or other stabilisers.

Unlike the stabilising particles described in the literature, the cocoaparticles according to the invention are obtained from food source ofnaturally occurring materials and require no activation to stabiliseemulsions. As cocoa solids are not classed as food additives, theinvention provides the important advantage of allowing the preparationof products that are free of additives, e.g. free of the so-called“E-numbers” associated with chemical emulsifiers.

Surprisingly cocoa particles have been found to effectively stabiliseemulsions without the need for any synthetic or artificial emulsifier.Surprisingly cocoa particles have been found to remarkably stabiliseemulsions against coalescence and more surprisingly can stabiliseemulsions also against creaming and sedimentation.

Suitably the cocoa particles can have a particle size (otherwisereferred to as a mean particle diameter) with an average particle sizeof from about 1 to about 200 microns, preferably of from about 1 toabout 100 microns. In some embodiments the particles have an averageparticles size of from about 1 to about 50 microns, such as of fromabout 5 to about 40 microns. In certain embodiments the particles havean average particles size of from about 10 to about 20 microns. In otherembodiments the particles have an average particles size of less than 10microns, even less than 5 microns, such as from about 0.1 to about 5microns.

Without wishing to be bound by any theory it is believed that theemulsifying capacity of the cocoa particles, results from the adsorptionof cocoa particles to the oil/water interface. It is surprising that thecocoa particles have been found to exhibit the observed sufficientlygood emulsion stabilisation effects without requiring the addition ofany other emulsifier, stabilising agent, or structuring agent, andwithout requiring any activation of the particles.

Conventional emulsifiers include for instance sugar esters, polyglycerolfatty acid esters, polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR), polysorbates(polyoxyethylene sorbitan esters), monoglycerides/diglycerides and theirderivatives, sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL), phospholipids, glycerolmonooeleate, amongst others. Advantageously, the present invention usescocoa particles to stabilize emulsions without the need of addition ofsuch emulsifiers or stabilizing agents.

In the present specification, the term “structuring agent” is understoodas a component having the capacity to bind and /or structure water.Structuring agents include polysaccharides and/or proteins, such ascarrageenans, pectins, gellan, gelatines, guar, acacia gum, sodiumalginate, xanthan gum or globular proteins such as those contained in awhey protein isolate, an egg white protein isolate, a soy proteinisolate or other globular protein isolates from an animal or vegetalsource. Advantageously the present invention enables the preparation offood products, in particular confectionery products, based on emulsionswithout the need for such structuring agents.

Advantageously the present invention enables the preparation of foodproducts, in particular confectionery products, based on emulsions thatare free of artificial or synthetic emulsifiers. Advantageously thepresent invention enables the preparation of food products that are freeof monoglycerides, diglycerides and their derivatives. Advantageouslythe present invention enables the preparation of food products, inparticular confectionery products, based on emulsions that are free ofglycerol monooleate, polyglycerol esters and polyglycerol esters ofpolyrincinoleic acid.

Surprisingly the inventors of the present invention have found thatcocoa particles are able to produce emulsions with exceptionalstability, without the need for emulsifiers, structuring agents or otherstabilising agents.

Unlike the stabilising particles described in the literature, cocoaparticles are obtained from a food source of naturally occurringmaterials and require no activation to stabilise emulsions. As cocoasolids are not classed as food additives, the invention provides theimportant advantage of allowing the preparation of products that arefree of additives, e.g. free of the so-called “E-numbers”.

The source and/or the fat content of the cocoa solids is not important.The cocoa particles may be obtained from different sources of cocoasolids, such as cocoa liquor, cocoa powder, cocoa fibre and/or any othersource of cocoa solids. Cocoa particles with any fat content areenvisaged.

The inventors have surprisingly found that emulsions obtained withdifferent cocoa solids were surprisingly stable, regardless the cocoasolid fat content. Whereas conventionally it would have been expectedthat varying the fat content in the cocoa solids (e.g. from 0.1 to about60%) would have significant effect on the hydrophilicity of the cocoaparticles and therefore on any efficiency to stabilise emulsions as itwould modify their wetting properties.

Cocoa particles with any fat content are envisaged, for instance cocoasolids having a fat content of from about 0.1% to about 55%. In someembodiments the cocoa particles are defatted cocoa powder. Defattedcocoa powders can have a fat content of less than about 1%, typicallydefatted cocoa powders have a fat content of from about 0.1 to less than10%. In some embodiments the cocoa particles are a standard cocoapowder. Standard cocoa powders generally have a fat content of about 10%to about 15%, e.g. about 10% to about 12%. In some embodiments the cocoaparticles are high fat cocoa powder. High fat cocoa powder can generallyhave a fat content of about 20% or higher, e.g. from about 20% to about25%, e.g. from about 20 to about 22%. In some embodiments the cocoaparticles are cocoa fibres. Cocoa fibres typically have a fat contentaround 5%. In some embodiments the cocoa particles are cocoa solids ofcocoa liquor. These cocoa solids have a relatively high fat content,typically a fat content of at least 50%, such as a fat content of about50% to about 55%.

Cocoa particles have been found to stabilise emulsion remarkably againstcoalescence. Even more surprisingly cocoa particles have been found toproduce emulsions with significant reduction of sedimentation of cocoaparticles. Cocoa particles are denser than water and therefore would beexpected to settle down at the bottom in the absence of conventionalchemical emulsifiers, stabilizing agents and/or structuring agents,however surprisingly the emulsions prepared according to the inventionhave good stability properties against the sedimentation of the cocoaparticles. At the same time it has also surprisingly been observed thatthe cocoa particles remarkably stabilised the emulsions against creamingof the oil droplet phase.

Advantageously cocoa particles can be used to replace conventionalemulsifiers and/or structuring agents to effectively stabilise emulsionsin confectionery products.

Surprisingly the inventors of the present invention have found thatcocoa particles are able to remarkably stabilise water-in-oil emulsions,as well as oil-in-water emulsion. This is particularly advantageous forapplications in confectionery products. Accordingly in one preferredaspect the invention provides the use of cocoa particles as theemulsifier system for the stabilization of a water-in-oil emulsion.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided aconfectionery product consisting of a stable emulsion comprising cocoaparticles as the emulsifying agent, in the absence of any synthetic orartificial emulsifiers or structuring agents.

The confectionery product consisting of an emulsion may be a chocolate,a chocolate-like (e.g. comprising cocoa butter replacers, orcocoa-butter equivalents), a chocolate spread, a chocolate sauce, acoating chocolate, a coating chocolate for ice-creams, a praline, achocolate filling, a fudge, a chocolate cream, a refrigerated chocolatecream, an extruded chocolate product, or the like. The confectioneryproduct may be in any conventional form, such as in the form of anaerated product, a bar, a spread, a sauce or a filling, among others. Itmay also be in the form of inclusions, chocolate layers, chocolatenuggets, chocolate pieces, chocolate drops, or shaped chocolates and thelike. The confectionery product may further contain inclusions e.g.cereals, like expanded or toasted rice or dried fruit pieces and thelike.

The amount of cocoa particles included as the emulsifier will depend onthe desired properties of the emulsion product amongst other. Typicallythe cocoa particles are present in amount of from about 0.1 to about 20%wt/wt of the confectionery product, preferably from about 0.1 to about10% wt/wt, e.g from about 1 to about 10% wt/wt. In a preferredembodiment the emulsifier is provided by cocoa particles, present in anamount of from about 2% to about 10% of the confectionery product.

In the present specification, the term “fat phase” is understood asincluding any solid and/or liquid ingredient miscible with oil or fat orthat has the capacity to dissolve in oil or fat, and “aqueous phase” asincluding any solid and/or liquid ingredient miscible with water or thathas the capacity to dissolve in water.

The confectionery product may comprise sugars. These sugars includesucrose, fructose, sugar replacers such as polyols (e.g., maltitol,lactitol, isomalt, erythritol, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol) or bulkingagents like polydextrose or other sweeteners like tagatose or highintensity sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, cyclamate,neohesperidin, thaumathin, sucralose, alitame, neotame or anycombination thereof.

The confectionery product may comprise ingredients such as flavouringagents, colorants, or milk ingredients. Typically flavouring agents areused to add flavours such as vanilla, raspberry, orange, mint, citrus,strawberry, apricot, lavender flavours, etc, and any other fruit, nuttyor flower flavouring agent, among others. Milk ingredients can be liquidmilk or milk powder, either full fat, partially defatted or defatted,and delactosylated or not.

In the confectionery product the fat phase is typically cocoa butter, acocoa butter substitute, cocoa butter replacer, cocoa butter improverand/or cocoa butter equivalent, among others.

Cocoa butter substitute is a lauric fat obtained from the kernel of thefruit of palm trees obtained by fractionation and/or hydrogenation ofpalm kernel oil. It comprises about 55% lauric acid, 20% myristic acidand 7% oleic acid, cocoa butter substitutes cannot be mixed with cocoabutter. Cocoa butter equivalents are vegetable fats with similarchemical and physical characteristics to cocoa butter, which areobtained by blending different fractions of other fats or byintersterification, and can be used interchangeably with cocoa butter inany recipe. Cocoa butter replacers are formed by non lauric vegetablefats which may be mixed with cocoa butter but only in limitedproportions: they have similar physical, but not chemicalcharacteristics to cocoa butter. Cocoa butter replacers can be used inrecipes partially based on cocoa mass or cocoa butter. Cocoa butterimprovers are harder cocoa butter equivalents which are not onlyequivalent in their compatibility but also improve the hardness of someof the softer qualities of cocoa butter.

Advantageously the present invention allows the preparation ofconfectionery products based on emulsions having very good stabilityproperties, in the absence of any added emulsifiers, structuring agentsor other stabilizing agents. Advantageously the present invention allowsthe preparation of emulsion-based confectionery products having verygood emulsion stability properties, which stabilized by cocoa particlesas the emulsifying agent, without the addition of any other emulsifierand without the need for carrying out any activation step/treatment onthe cocoa particles.

The emulsions stabilised with cocoa particles according to the inventioncan be prepared following conventional methods for the preparation ofemulsions.

According to an exemplary method, in some embodiments the process forpreparing a confectionery product in the form of an emulsion, comprisesthe steps of:

-   (e) Mixing ingredients of the aqueous phase;-   (f) Mixing ingredients of the fat phase;-   (g) Dispersing the cocoa particles in one or both of the aqueous    phase or the fat phase;-   (h) Homogenizing the two phases to form an emulsion.

In certain embodiments, for the preparation of an oil-in-water emulsion,the cocoa particles are dispersed in the aqueous phase, and the oil/fatphase is added to the aqueous phase, before agitation to form anemulsion. In other embodiments, for the preparation of a water-in-oilemulsion, the cocoa particles are dispersed in the oil/fat phase, andthe aqueous phase is added to the oil/fat phase, before agitation toform an emulsion. Homogenization is conveniently used to provide theagitation for formation of the emulsion, however other conventionaltechnologies are contemplated.

Advantageously the present invention makes possible the preparation offood products based on emulsions, and particularly confectioneryproducts, which do not contain any additives, or non-naturalingredients. Advantageously the cocoa particle stabilised emulsions ofthe present invention do not require the addition of any emulsifiers,structuring agents or other stabilizing agents. Advantageously the cocoaparticle stabilised emulsions of the present invention do not requireany activation step/treatment on the cocoa particles.

The term “about,” as used herein, should generally be understood torefer to both numbers in a range of numerals. Moreover, all numericalranges herein should be understood to include each whole integer withinthe range.

All patent and non-patent references cited in the present application,are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The invention will now be described in further details in the followingnon-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Preparation of Sunflower Oil-in-Water (O/W) EmulsionStabilised With Cocoa Particles

Oil in water emulsions were prepared using 20% weight purified sunfloweroil as the fat phase. The aqueous phase comprised water in whichdifferent cocoa particle sources were dispersed (cocoa powder 6% wt/wtof the aqueous phase). The oil phase was slowly added onto the aqueousphase, and oil in water emulsions were prepared using a homogeniser (L5MSeries, Silverson, UK) with a fine emulsor screen, operating at 8000 rpmfor two minutes.

The list of cocoa powders tested is given in Table 1.

TABLE 1 List of cocoa powders tested as emulsion stabilisers. Particlesize of cocoa powder measured as described below. Particle Size (d4,3)Cocoa powder sample Fat % pH μm DP medium brown Defatted Cocoa <1% 7.0 ±0.2 16.0 Powder SR deep dark red Defatted Cocoa Powder <1% 8.0 ± 0.216.0 DP medium brown 10/12 Cocoa Powder 10-12% 7.0 ± 0.2 12.0 DSR deepdark red 10/12 Cocoa Powder 10-12% 7.0 ± 0.2 14.0 SR deep dark red 10/12Cocoa Powder 10-12% 8.0 ± 0.2 13.0 Cocoa powder alkalized 10/12% fat10-12% 7.7 ± 0.2 12.0 POR10G9 Cocoa powder alkalized 10/12% fat D11S10-12% 8.0 ± 0.2 12.0 DP medium brown 20/22 Cocoa Powder 20-22% 7.0 ±0.2 13.0 Micronised cocoa fibre <5% 6.0 ± 0.3

Particle Size Measurement of Cocoa Solids

Particle size distributions were measured at a low angle laserdiffraction particle size analyser (LS 13 320 series Beckman Coulter,Inc, UK) utilising the Fraunhofer optical model. Average sizes wereassessed using d_(4,3), the volume mean. Cocoa solids were measured withwater as a dispersant.

Homogenous emulsions were obtained with all cocoa powders. The dropletsize of the emulsions was measured following the procedure describedbelow. Emulsion samples were stored at room temperature for 5 days andthe droplet size was then measured to check the stability of theemulsions.

Droplet Size Measurement of Cocoa Particle-Stabilised W/O Emulsions

Emulsion droplet size distributions were measured at a low angle laserdiffraction particle size analyser (LS 13 320 series Beckman Coulter,Inc, UK). Average sizes were assessed using d_(4,3), the volume mean.Emulsion measurements were performed with water as a dispersant and theFraunhofer optical model was used. The emulsion droplet size wasmonitored over a period of storage, and change in droplet diameter hasbeen used as a measure of stability. No change or a small increase indroplet size shows a stable emulsion whereas as a significant increasein droplet size is evidence of droplet coalescence and therefore anunstable emulsion.

The results are given in Table 2 and show that the emulsions are verystable against coalescence.

TABLE 2 Droplet size of cocoa powder-stabilised emulsions measured atday 1 (when they were prepared) and day 6 (5 days after storage atambient temperature). Droplet Size, d_(4,3) (μm) Cocoa powder-stabilisedEmulsions Day 1 Day 6 Alkalised Defatted Cocoa Powder DP 16.0 15.0Alkalised Defatted Cocoa Powder SR 16.0 15.0 Cocoa powder alkalized10/12% fat POR10G9 12.0 12.0 Alkalised 10/12% fat Cocoa Powder DSR 14.014.0 Alkalised 10/12 Cocoa Powder SR 13.0 15.0 Alkalised 10/12% fatCocoa Powder DP 12.0 12.0 Cocoa powder alkalized 10/12% fat D11S 12.012.0 Alkalised 20/22% fat Cocoa Powder DP 13.0 12.0 Ficao micronisedcocoa fibre 39.0 40.0

Example 2 Preparation of Corn Oil-in-Water (O/W) Emulsion Stabilisedwith Cocoa Particles

Different sources of cocoa solids were first dispersed in distilledwater followed by the addition of refined corn oil (Mazola™ oil boughtat local shop). Five different sources of cocoa solids were tested anddetails are found in Table 3.The emulsions were prepared to contain 55%w/w oil and cocoa solids varying from 10 to 15% w/w based on the totalweight of the emulsion, water was the balance ingredient making up theremainder of the emulsion. The mixture was subjected to emulsificationat 8,000 rpm for 4 min using a Silverson L4R mixer fitted with emulsorscreen. For the emulsion containing cocoa mass the emulsification wasdone at 55° C. After preparation the samples were kept undisturbed at 4°C. for stability test. The stability of the samples was checked byvisual observation and microscopy.

TABLE 3 Fat content and particle size of the various cocoa solids used.Particle size, Cocoa solids source Reference Fat Content, % d₉₀ (μm)Cocoa liquor CM 55 not measured High fat cocoa powder HFCP 22 104Standard cocoa powder SCP 11 46 Standard cocoa powder 2 hr SCP 11 14Highly defatted cocoa powder HDCP 0.1 34

Emulsions were successfully prepared using different types of cocoasolids as listed in table 3. The reference “2 hr SCP” refers to a sampleof the standard cocoa powder “SCP” which has been submitted to wetmilling using a planetary micro mill (PULVERISETTE 7 classic line,Fritsch GmbH, Germany) and 20 g of 1 mm-diameter balls at 800 rpm for 2hours. No oil separation was observed in any of the emulsion samples.The degree of creaming varied with the source of cocoa solids. Overallthe emulsion samples were stable to creaming. After 7 days storage at 4°C., the emulsion samples remained stable, no oil separation was observedand the degree of creaming remained almost unchanged.

The emulsion samples were analysed under an optical microscope (LeitzMicroscope Company) fitted with a 20× magnification lens and a digitalcamera (megapixel Fireware PL-A662, Pixelink), and the micrographs ofthe cocoa particle-stabilised emulsions, prepared using differentsources of cocoa solids and at varying cocoa solids content, were takenon the first day of manufacture (Day 1) and 7 days after the day ofpreparation (Day 8). The micrographs taken on day 1 and day 8 aredisplayed in FIG. 2.

On day 1, the droplet size distribution of the emulsions does not showany significant variation with an increase in the cocoa solids content(i.e. from 10% w/w cocoa solids content to 15% w/w) cocoa solidscontent). The droplets of the emulsion containing 2 hr SCP and Cocoaliquor appeared to give the most consistent droplet size distribution.After 8 days storage at 4° C., the pictures show only slight evolutionof the droplet size distribution of the emulsions. The samplescontaining cocoa powder 2 hr SCP (C) appeared the most stable as only avery small change in the droplet size was observed. It is noted that thesamples containing cocoa liquor (D) showed crystallisation of cocoabutter during storage at 4° C.

Confocal fluorescence images of emulsion stabilised with cocoa powderwere obtained on a Leica TCS SP Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope(CSLM) at a wavelength of 488 nm. FIG. 2 shows a representative CLSMimage of a coarse emulsion stabilized by cocoa powder. The confocalfluorescence image of FIG. 2 shows cocoa particles covering the oildroplets. It is very clear from the CLSM image that cocoa powder ispresent as insoluble particles in the aqueous phase. Consequently, it isbelieved that the good emulsifying capacity of the cocoa powder resultsfrom the adsorption of cocoa particles to the oil/water interface, i.e.that the systems act as Pickering emulsions stabilised by cocoaparticles.

Example 3 Preparation of Water-in-Sunflower Oil (W/O) EmulsionStabilised With Cocoa Particles

Water in oil emulsions were prepared with 95% purified sunflower oil.Standard Cocoa powder “SCP” (fat content 11%, particle size 46 μm wasdispersed in oil phase (6% of oil phase) and water as the aqueous phase(balance w/w) was added slowly onto the oil phase, and oil in wateremulsions were prepared using a homogeniser (L5M Series, Silverson, UK)with no screen, operating at 3000 rpm for two minutes. The A homogenousemulsion was obtained which was then stored at room temperature forstability check.

The emulsion sample was analysed under the microscope as in Example 2,on day 1 (day of preparation), day 3 and day 6, and the micrographs aredisplayed in FIG. 4. Even on day 6 (after storage for 5 days afterpreparation) the emulsion remained stable. From FIG. 3 it is seen thatonly a very slight evolution of the droplet size distribution wasobserved of the emulsion after 5 days storage (day 6).

1. A method for the stabilization of a water-in-oil or oil-in-wateremulsion comprising using cocoa particles as an emulsifier system. 2.Method according to claim 1 wherein the particles have a mean particlesize of from 1 to 50 μm.
 3. Method according to claim 1 wherein theemulsion is a water-in-oil emulsion.
 4. Method according to claim 1wherein the emulsion is for a confectionery product.
 5. A confectioneryproduct comprising an emulsion comprising from 0.1 to 10% wt/wt of cocoaparticles as the emulsifying agent, in the absence of any synthetic orartificial emulsifiers or structuring agents.
 6. A confectionery productaccording to claim 1 wherein the emulsion is a water-in-oil emulsion. 7.A process for preparing a confectionery product comprising the steps of:mixing ingredients of the aqueous phase; mixing ingredients of the fatphase; dispersing cocoa particles in one or both of the aqueous phase orthe fat phase; and homogenizing the two phases to form an emulsion.